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Why Cancer Survivorship Coaching?

I've had cancer twice. With each diagnosis, I reached points where I didn't know how I was going to go any further. I quickly learned to be very honest with myself—honest about the things I thought and felt about family, about friends, about my future—during what sometimes seemed like endless rounds of debilitating treatments. And to get through it all, there were times when I delved into the depths of my soul, searching for courage and strength. It often felt like I needed to be super-human.

Once treatment was complete and I returned to the normal day-to-day activities of the outside world, I began to experience frustration with what I thought was people's blindness to their own lives. I would think, "Do they have any idea how lucky they are?!?" Then I realized it wasn't them who needed a change in perspective. It was me. I was more aware of my life and my surrounding circumstances than I ever had been. I was more aware of what truly mattered to me. Not always clear about how to make it happen, but no longer uncertain about my values. No longer uncertain about who I was. And it quickly became clear to me that I could not continue to live the way I previously had. I wasn't the same person anymore. I had found a side of myself I didn't know existed. Strength and courage I didn't know I had. And I began to notice the yearning in myself to live as powerfully as I had while I had cancer. And each day I didn't, I felt as though this newly discovered part of me was suffocating. I worked with my own coach and that feeling is no longer.So I coach people like me. Folks who insist on keeping that part of themselves alive. Because it's not always obvious in what arena these newly-found strengths and different forms of courage can be expressed. But each one of us has our own unique commitments & values, personal desires & interests. Sometimes known, sometimes hidden from our view. But once we find them and realize how they can be expressed, and that we can continue to live as powerfully as we did with cancer, we come alive, living full and passionate lives. And no longer just surviving.

About the word Survivor

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of the word survivor when applied to those who have beaten cancer. I have a few friends who I lost to cancer. But throughout their diagnoses they were 100% survivors. They lived their lives fully and passionately, grateful for life, and with a kindness and generosity that was contagious throughout their remaining years. These folks survived their diagnoses from start to finish. They are no longer alive but they are some of the most powerful survivors I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

That being said, Survivor is the term that is used to refer to people who are cancer-free. And, as conflicted as I find myself with the word Survivorship, I respect that it is the term used for people who are post-treatment and cancer-free.And Survivorship is a unique part of the journey.